I. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to paint brush cleaning systems and, more particularly, to an easily used, economical, system for effectively cleaning paint brushes used for applying oil base paints. The system should be employed immediately after the brush has been used.
II. Description Of The Prior Art
For many years oil base paints enjoyed success as a primary protective covering for a variety of surfaces. However, with the advent of new types of coverings, particularly, water based paints, such as latex paint, their usage has diminished to a great extent, even among professional painters.
Oil base paints are known for their durability and ability to protect an underlying surface for an extended period of time. They have a natural affinity for wood, seeping into the pores of the wood and forming a lasting bond. The protective nature of oil base paints, however, is not restricted to wood surfaces. Rather, they are commonly used on a variety of other surfaces including metal and plastics.
In contrast, water base paints, such as latex, do not bond as well to the substrate to which they are applied. Rather, they encapsulate the substrate and when the integrity of the paint is compromised, they tend to peel off from the underlying surface in large strips, leaving large areas of the underlying surface exposed to the elements.
Although oil base paints are often preferable from the standpoint of durability and protection, a primary difficulty in their use resides in the cleanup of the brushes and other appliances used in their application. Improper cleaning leads to loss of brushes and considerable expense as a result. A system which would facilitate the cleaning of brushes and assure the ease and thoroughness of the cleaning operation would help substantially to increase the usage of oil base paints once again. This is the intended goal of the present invention.
A number of patents can be cited as being typical of known instrumentalities used generally in cleanup operations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 64,271 to Annin and U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,661 to Shanahan, Jr., disclose the systematic cleaning of jewelry using a plurality of different liquids into which the jewelry is sequentially immersed.
In another instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,752 to Sherrow discloses a paint brush cleaning rack for suspending soiled paint brushes in disposable cups containing cleaning fluids. According to the patent, the number and location of brushes and cups may be varied so that brushes of different sizes and containing different colors of paint and different paint bases can be cleaned simultaneously in different solvents.
Stands or trays of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,236,085 to Hudnut have also been known. These are of the type which support a plurality of aligned bottles for unspecified purposes but such as to permit ready removal or replacement of the bottle.
Also known are towel rollers or racks of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 170,288 to Miller or U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,514 to Hughes associated with some manner of receptacle.